Donald Sparling - Professor of Canadian Studies at Masaryk University - compares Czech Roma and Native Canadian issues
Originally from Canada, Don Sparling is a professor of Canadian Studies at
Masaryk University and is presently acting head of the Office for
International studies. As he moved to the capital city of Moravia, Brno,
in 1969, he has been witness to a very significant period in history.
Though scholarly in a wide array of subjects, I chose to speak with him
about his present function at the University and of course, as a fellow
Canadian, I was curious about what made Czechs interested in Canada.
Masaryk University has a series of steps to be carried out within the next
5 years towards furthering its internationalization. It appears to be
somewhat cutting edge compared to other academic institutions in the
Czech Republic.
"You know that old advertisement it was from a car rental company,
'we are number two we try harder'. And Masaryk University is the second
largest University in the Czech Republic so there's a reason to be, let's
say, ambitious. But I think the main point is that we have quite a dynamic
team leading the University, the rector and the vice rectors and
particularly a very dynamic rector. This is Jiri Zlatuska who when he was
elected he was elected at the age of forty-one which in this part of the
world is totally unheard of. You know usually rectors are sixty
sixty-five, on their deathbed and so on. And so he's a very dynamic
person and has been pushing it forward with his team who are also very
committed to these changes. So what we've done basically is respond very
quickly to the initiatives that are being made all over Europe now to
modernize the educational systems, to move to a credit system that is
interchangeable everywhere in the continent, the ECTS, system a move
towards structuring the studies into a BA, MA system, so that there is more
chance for students to move from one university to another and so
on."
What areas of Canadian Studies are offered at Masaryk University?
"It began in the English department so we have a lot of courses there
that are focused on literature but more widely on cultural studies things
like multiculturalism, native society and so on. Then we've got courses on
Canadian history, Canadian political science, Canadian film, geography. We
have a course, which always blows the minds of most Canadians when I say
this, on Canadian philosophy. Canadians always say, what are you talking
about? Is there a Canadian philosophy? Yes we have a course on Canadian
philosophy."
Why would Czech be interested in taking these courses? Why would Czechs be
interested in Canadian Sociology?
"Well, I think Czechs are generally interested in Canada. They've got
obviously some of these preconceptions about Canada. Canada is
"nature" the great empty spaces and so on. But I think it's more
than that. Many Czechs have relatives or friends who immigrated to Canada
in '38, '48, '68, '77, and so on. And Canada for instance in '68 was the
first country in the world to take people fleeing the country after the
Russian invasion. So, a lot of people have relatives in Canada and by in
large these relatives have had very good experiences in Canada. But it's
also I think that Canada is viewed as a multicultural society that works,
a federal country that works, unlike the old Czechoslovakia which fell
apart. It's an American country, I mean in the Czech language people say
"Amerika" and this means Canada, the United States, South
America and so on. So it is an American country but it's not the United
States with all of the kind of negative associations that the United
States has. So, Czechs have got a very positive view of Canada and so this
makes them interested in then in Canadian Studies."
Because policies are going to be changed with the Czech Republic's
admission into the European Union, do you think that Czechs use Canada as
a template for some of the decisions being made?
"I think perhaps to a certain extent that could be said I'm not sure
necessarily if it had to do with Czech entering the European Union. I know
that for two or three years now that they've been looking at for instance
Canada's immigration system, the way we have the point system and try to
select out immigrants in this way. This has been something that has
already interested the Czechs because they desperately need some sort of
coherent immigration policy in the country. The whole treatment of
minorities, the multiculturism of Canada has been looked to as a model by
many Czechs and Czech authorities in trying to deal with in particular the
Roma problem in this country. So, I think there were already a lot of
areas in which Czechs saw potential models in Canada. Probably now it may
be even more true because, as you say, were are about to enter the
European Union and though nobody who is in favor of this movement will
openly say that Europe is moving towards a federation because this tends
to freak out opponents of the increasing integration of Europe. In fact
Europe already is acting more like a federation and from that point of
view the operations of Canada are very instructive for people here."
When we had spoken previously you had mentioned that the Czech Republic is
moving towards a very homogeneous society. In your course on
multiculturism, do you ever make comparisons between the Czech Republic
and Canada with perhaps as you mentioned the Roma problem?
"Well certainly in the multiculturism course which I offer the first
half of the course is about theories of multiculturism, how societies can
adopt different models of multiculturism and there is continual comparison
with what goes on here. One of the purposes of the course is to make
people think about how things work here whether they are working well or
wrongly. Of course there are many differences between Canada and here. In
some ways the position of the Roma here is closer to the position of the
Natives in Canada. The Roma are not literally indigenous people here but
in a slightly stretched definition of the word indigenous they are. I mean
they have been living here for six hundred years and have been a part of
society, on the fringes of course, but have been a part of it here. And
there's nowhere else where they are from, well obviously they are from
India but that is like saying the native are originally from Asia. It's so
far back in the past that it is no longer relevant. From all practical
purposes the Roma are from here. So, from that point of view it's like the
Natives in Canada. From other points of view it isn't. The Czech didn't
enter and take away the country from the Roma such as the Europeans did in
North America. But so many of the social issues whether it's educational
levels, literacy, economic levels, problems with alcohol, drugs etc. These
are very reminiscent of what effects the Natives in Canada."
Do you think that things are changing? Do you think that integration is
possible?
"Well, I think so. And I think things are improving though I think
extremely slowly. I think that if you look at the general political
climate and the general attitude toward Roma say ten years ago. There has
been a change and there has been a change for the better. There are far
more programs that are operating that try to solve the problems that are
happening and there are far more open recognition of the fact that there
are problems. You know ten years ago people were saying that there are no
problems the only problem is that the Roma don't want to be like us-end of
discussion. Now I think large numbers of people are prepared to say, yes,
and we must do something about it. But we are talking about change that
will take another generation or two but basically that is what we are
talking about in terms of the society as a whole. If you have been forty
years under a communist system there is a whole series of ways of doing
things, there is a whole set of mental attitudes which are very deeply
ingrained. And that is only going to come with one or two generations of people with
experience elsewhere and things gradually changing here. It is what
Masaryk said in the first republic. He said we need two generations to
throw off the mental shackles that we had from the old Austro-Hungarian
Empire. We need two generations to have the confidence of being an
independent, self-determining nation."
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Originally from Canada, Don Sparling is a professor of Canadian Studies at
Masaryk University and is presently acting head of the Office for
International studies. As he moved to the capital city of Moravia, Brno,
in 1969, he has been witness to a very significant period in history.
Though scholarly in a wide array of subjects, I chose to speak with him
about his present function at the University and of course, as a fellow
Canadian, I was curious about what made Czechs interested in Canada.
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